Vitamin B12 deficiency, anybody??

I have a vitamin B12 deficiency, which I get injections for every 3 months. I was told that B12 is an important vitamin for pregnancy and when I do fall pregnant that I could possibly need to up the injections to every month.

IS anyone else deficient in B12, and did you have to have more injections than usual???

Last edited by BrookieR; 26-04-2012 at 09:45.
Reason: spelling mistakes

I have pernicious anemia but didn't need any extra shots during pregnancy. I have actually slacked right off and stopped getting shots. I wonder if I would have more energy and feel less tired if I started getting them again. Hmmm, might need a trip to the GP.

I have pernicious anemia but didn't need any extra shots during pregnancy. I have actually slacked right off and stopped getting shots. I wonder if I would have more energy and feel less tired if I started getting them again. Hmmm, might need a trip to the GP.

I don't have pernicious anemia but both my sister and mum do. I have dietary issues (gastric sleeve) and I do need them every month and that is the recommended treatment for both diet and anemia, at my hospital they put you in the high risk clinic so that you see a endo every time you go.
Have you had your levels tested lately?
Are you in a high risk clinic at your hospital?

What is iron deficiency (anemia)? Iron is a mineral which is necessary for the organism’s normal functioning. Iron is used by the body to produce hemoglobin, and this substance helps in carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body in red blood cells.

Sickle cell anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. In sickle cell anemia the red blood cells are not flexible but sticky and are in the shape of sickles.
low iron levels

Low levels of iron in blood plasma can cause itchy skin especially in the elderly. The nails become soft, brittle and white.
If pregnant women have a lack of iron they can easily become infected after childbirth, and the lack of iron can also lead to miscarriage and premature birth. Iron deficiency can cause low body weight in newborn babies and an increased risk that the child will have anemia. More drastic circumstances can lead to the death of the child at birth.

Aplastic anemia is a disease in which the bone marrow is very poorly developed, and the result is a lack of blood cells in circulation.
The beginning of aplastic anemia is unnoticeable in most patients. The first symptoms are weakness and fatigue, which are caused by a decrease in red blood cells (erythrocytes). The lack of red blood cells causes reduced production in the bone marrow and bleeding from the nose, gums, vagina, digestive system, the subcutaneous tissue.

The symptoms of anemia include pallor, weakness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, extreme tiredness, palpitations, dizziness. In order to set the correct diagnosis of anemia, it is necessary to have blood tests, sedimentation (SE), complete blood count (CBC), iron (Fe) and iron binding capacity (UIBC). In case of anemia the tests will show that the sedimentation is elevated, hemoglobin and hematocrit are low, iron is reduced and UIBC is increased.
anemia in pregnancy

Iron is in the first place of all the micronutrients when it comes to body deficit. There are several factors that cause iron deficiency:

Women in pregnancy have an increased need for iron and also an increased risk of anemia. Pregnancy is therefore a condition with specific metabolic needs and a specific diet is necessary in order to avoid possible complications caused by a lack of nutrients

Pernicious anemia is the most common anemia caused by lack of intrinsic factors required for the absorption of vitamin B12. Pernicious anemia occurs in adults as a result of gastric atrophy, this means that the body can’t absorb vitamin B12. The parietal cells in the stomach responsible for the production of the intrinsic factor are necessary for the absorption of vitamin B12. The deficiency of these cells leads to the destruction of this important vitamin. Therefore, pernicious anemia is caused by the lack of secretion of the intrinsic factors, atrophy of the gastric mucosa, loss of parietal cells which leads to vitamin B12 deficiency.

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